Should we question the Jim Harbaugh-Alex Smith marriage?

When asked if he felt quarterback Alex Smith was the long term answer, Jim Harbaugh said, “I do.” With those two words, Harbaugh seemingly wed himself to Smith for the foreseeable future.

The question gave Harbaugh no wiggle room. Even if Harbaugh wanted to hedge on that question he couldn’t, not while the team is driving for the playoffs. No head coach with post-season aspirations would undermine his quarterback in late December.

Nevertheless, there’s a feeling Harbaugh is genuine when it comes to Smith, and why not? Harbaugh has built a team with Smith in mind. With his strong defense and special teams, Harbaugh needs a quarterback who won’t lose the game on his own.

The Baltimore Ravens had that with Trent Dilfer when they won the Super Bowl in 2000. Then, they thought they could upgrade at the position so they got rid of Dilfer and drafted Kyle Boller. Oops. The 49ers would be smart to not out-think themselves like Baltimore did.

The free-agent route is so often a dead end. Those who want to ditch Smith never seem to get around to the question of who will actually replace him.
Not only that, Smith will likely get better. Harbaugh said a few weeks ago that it takes about two years for a quarterback to really know his West Coast-style system. Smith has already put one year in. At only 27, Smith is likely to get better once he knows the nuances.

Behind Smith, Harbaugh and quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst are developing Colin Kaepernick and Scott Tolzien, both young quarterbacks with promise.

If Harbaugh is genuine about Smith being a 49er long-term, should we question that? Is there any better judge than Harbaugh?